Note from Sarah:
It is aligned with the mission of my company to highlight women’s strength. When the dancers and I were rehearsing at Lake Merritt this week we realized a young girl, who had been watching us, was starting to climb and jump and use her strength to support her body on the different rails and ledges at the park. “That is it!” I said. “That is why we do this! Girls and women need to see women being powerful in their bodies and bold in their spirit!” We all cheered her on.

Make a day of it!
Enjoy brunch before the performance at one of the many restaurants near Lake Merritt. After the show, take a stroll around The Lake and watch the variety of water birds: ducks, geese, coots, cormorants, pelicans, herons, etc. Or check out the nearby Oakland Museum of California. It’s 2 blocks from the Amphitheater and has really cool exhibits.

Lake Merritt Amphitheater is located on Lake Merritt Blvd between 12th Street and 1st Ave. in Oakland. Nearest BART station is Lake Merritt, though 12th Street Station is also close. AC Transit buses #18 & #26 run nearby. Check google maps for directions specific to you!

From SBDP dancer, Jeanette Jing:
“What makes this project unique is that the environment is just as integral to the work as is the choreography. We plan to take this performance away from the traditional proscenium stage, and to mesh the dance directly to different landscapes found in our hometown of Oakland, CA.

The first performance will be outside, along the shoreline of Lake Merritt. Aspects of the landscape around the lake serve as inspiration for the movement, as well as literal props for the dancers. The pathways, the concrete, the water and the birds, the sounds of footsteps and whispers of conversation, all steep into our performance. Instead of seeing the Lake Merritt Amphitheater as a lunch hangout spot, it will be transformed through our performance.

I find this project acts as a personal commentary on the state of our world and our shared communal spaces, and challenges our audience to see their world differently through the context of dance. Everywhere becomes our stage.”